Throughout my career, I managed to land dream jobs over and over again, even when I wasn't the most qualified candidate.
Over time, I learned what it took to get fast promotions, amazing raises and full bonus pay-outs every time, even though I was a woman in a male-dominated environment (without compromising my integrity).
As I moved into bigger roles with more responsibilities and pressure, I was able to figure out how to create results through my team without burning out, sacrificing what believed in, or giving up my life.
I've also made some big changes in my career, as I've taken a step back, changed industries, moved to another country (twice!), taken a sabbatical and started my own business - even when most people around me advised me not to.
Every step of the way, I've managed, mentored and coached hundreds of high performers on how to do the same in their work and careers - and the tactics and strategies that worked for me, worked for them, too!
Over 10,000 people on social media and my email list look to me for support and guidance on how to navigate their work and careers, so they can live up to their full potential and my career advice has been featured in numerous publications including Business Insider, Thrive Global and ELLE.
When I finished college in 2007, I was SO pumped to finally start my career journey. I was excited to start making money, apply everything I had learned at school in real life and begin the climb towards the successful career I so deeply desired.
Instead, what I saw in my day-to-day was:
I refused to accept that new reality and that's when my lifelong quest began. By being curious and observant, I've spent the past 13 years+ asking myself:
And maybe the most important one:
That means not just delivering great results and being a great leader, but also feeling happy and healthy while being the best version of myself towards the people around me.
Over the years, I've read countless books. I've attended conferences and taken courses. I've journaled, meditated and gone on solo trips to spiritual places like Bali and Cambodia.
But the hands-down most important source has been... conversations. The biggest insights have come to me while meeting with people who were happy to share what they had learned and who provided the time and space for me to reflect.
It still blows my mind how these interactions so often lead to quantum leaps in my growth and understanding in such a short amount of time.
But also, those situations were few and far between...
I had a few great mentors, but most of the time they were very senior men who didn't seem to be faced with the same external or internal obstacles that I had, like how to handle bias or how to figure out how to navigate potential motherhood and career planning.
I had some really great bosses, but there's always that line where you need to balance transparency with being aware of how it could impact their trust in me being able to do my job.
I had some amazing and supportive peers, but they had busy lives and I always felt like I was imposing on their time and I felt icky talking too much about myself.
I had friends and family, but most of the time they couldn't really relate to my high performer tendencies or situations, leading them to project their own goals and dreams and fear and doubts on me, often leaving me feeling misunderstood and more confused than before.
I had my husband who listened, could relate and often gave great advice, but there is only so much you can talk about work struggles at home before it starts to feel like you're more business partners than romantic ones.
And then there were all the things I'd never tell anyone because it made me feel ashamed and embarrassed to even think or feel that way...
Formal bio
Anna Cosic is a former Media and Tech Executive turned Career & Leadership Coach committed to helping high performers live up to their full potential.
Anna spent 10 years as an executive in highly operational roles where success was dependent on her ability to prioritize, manage her bandwidth and create results through her team - often while being the only woman in the room.
She has always been motivated by showing others that it's possible to go far and to be exactly as successful as we want to be and in 2016 she committed to doing this full time by leaving her successful career to launch her own coaching business.
Since then, Anna has helped hundreds of ambitious men and women on all levels, from early-career professionals to CEOs, identify and implement strategies, techniques and tools to achieve success in their work and careers while living great lives.
Her leadership and career advice have been featured in numerous publications including Business Insider, Thrive Global and ELLE.
Anna has a Master's Degree in Business Administration and Management from Stockholm University. She was born in Sweden, has worked and lived all over the world and now calls Brooklyn, New York City home where she lives with her husband, five-year-old son and two pugs, Igor and Doris.
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